Fighting to Breathe
by ashandpika
Summary: When one of Harry's closest friends dies, he feels responsible for not preventing it. Can Harry and his friends come to terms with what has happened in time to save their world?
1. Chapter 1

Harry woke up in the middle of the night with the unsettling feeling that something was wrong. His hand went instinctively to his forehead, but his scar was fine. Unable to get back to sleep, he heaved himself out of bed, crept past Ron, who was shouting something about cheese in his sleep, and out through the common room into the corridor.

Wandering aimlessly through the castle, Harry found himself out in the grounds. He shivered in his flannel pyjamas but kept on walking, feeling sure he was going in the right direction. Suddenly a scream pierced the night air and Harry broke into a sprint. As he rounded the corner, he gasped. Someone was hanging from the tower window.

"Harry!" the quavering voice called, "Please… help me!"

Standing at the base of the tower, Harry hurriedly produced his wand and cast 'Lumos', illuminating the frightened face of the girl clinging to the window ledge. Hermione's face. Before Harry had time to react, Hermione's hands slipped and she fell, her arms and legs flailing and her eyes wide with terror. Harry hesitated for a second before casting a desperate 'Wingardium Leviosa', but he was too late. Hermione was flopped like a ragdoll at the base of the tower, her mouth wide open in a silent scream.

Harry collapsed to the floor beside Hermione's crumpled body, frantically checking for the pulse he knew would not be there.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, hot tears streaming down his face, "I'm so, so, sorry." As he was closing her eyes, he heard a gasp behind him. Harry leapt up, wand raised, and saw Ron staring down at the body of his girlfriend, his face deathly pale and his knees shaking violently.

"Harry," he said, his voice cracking on the last word, "is she- is she dead?"

As soon as Harry nodded Ron's face crumpled and he ran over to Hermione, stroking her cheek and planting a delicate kiss on her forehead. After a long while Ron stood up mutely and the two of them picked Hermione up as tenderly as possible and carried her now cold body back to the castle.


	2. Chapter 2

When Harry and Ron arrived outside the main entrance hall, their eyes met with a black sea of dementors, peppered with terrified students trying desperately to escape.

"Put her down, Ron. We have to go, now!" shouted Harry, grabbing his wand.

"No!" shouted Ron, looking at Harry angrily. " We can't just leave her here! Wherever we go, we're taking her with us. I _won't_ leave her, Harry."

"Ron," he said pleadingly, "she's dead. She would have wanted us to leave her."

Ron stared at Harry resolutely, his mind made up.

" I don't have time to argue with you! You do what you want, I'm going in."

And with that Harry ran in, brandishing his want and shouting 'Expecto Patronum' at the top of his voice, leaving Ron staring after him.

In Dumbledore's office, Bellatrix was pointing her wand menacingly at Professor McGonagall, her lips twisted into a sadistic smile.

"Where is he?" she hissed, taking a step closer to McGonagall who, if she was afraid, was not showing it.

"Where is he?" Bellatrix repeated, raising her voice. "Where is Albus Dumbledore?"

McGonagall lifted her chin and stared angrily into Bellatrix's eyes.

"Fine!" snapped Bellatrix. "We'll do this the fun way…. Well, it's not fun for you, I suppose. CRUCIO!" she shouted, laughing happily as McGonagall fell to the floor, writhing in pain.

"TELL ME!" roared Bellatrix. "CRUCIO!" with that McGonagall curled up into a ball, clutching her legs and shaking violently. But she did not respond. However much Bellatrix tortured her, she would be loyal to Albus Dumbledore. Loyal to the bitter end.

Suddenly Ron appeared in the doorway, his wand raised and his eyes wide.

"Stupefy!" he shouted, trying to sound confident and secretly praying that the spell wouldn't backfire. Again.

Bellatrix, who had been standing over McGonagall, laughing evilly, keeled over, her body rigid and her face still frozen in a sick smile.

"Bloody Hell!" murmured Ron in amazement as he stared down at his wand. "It worked! It actually worked!"

Suddenly remembering McGonagall, he ran over to her and knelt down next to her somewhat awkwardly.

"Um," he began cautiously, " Are you okay?" shit, he thought to himself. Really stupid question to ask someone who's just been tortured.

McGonagall just nodded at him, her eyes slightly foggy, her skin pale as stone. He helped the professor into a chair, feeling a stab of guilt for leaving Hermione all alone in the room of requirement, but he knew that Harry was right: it was what she would have wanted. Wiping a solitary tear from his cheek he tried to think. What would Harry do?


	3. Chapter 3

Before Ron had time to say anything more, Harry appeared in the doorway, a deep gash running from just below his eye to the corner of his mouth.

"Professor!" he called, his voice sounding choked. "What's going on? There are bodies everywhere…. It's horrible."

Professor McGonagall looked at him helplessly and shook her head.

"I don't know," she answered quietly, "Albus- Professor Dumbledore- left this afternoon. I don't know why. He didn't say. Just that 'some urgent business required his attention. The next think I know, this," she said, gesturing at the smashed up office and Bellatrix, who was still lying on the floor, "happened."

Harry looked at Ron and their eyes met for a second, as if in a kind of peace offering for their earlier argument. They were going to have to work together on this one.

Suddenly Harry seemed to notice Bellatrix for the first time.

"Tie her up and take her wand!" he instructed Ron casually, as if tying up death eaters was something they did on a regular basis.

Trying to appear brave, Ron walked purposefully over to the body, terrified all the time that she would wake up. 'Harry wouldn't be scared', he thought, angry with himself. He hauled her onto a chair and used the curtain cord to bind her hands to the leg before warily plucking her wand out of her pocket.

As soon as Ron had finished the knot, Harry shouted 'Rennervate' and Bellatrix jerked awake.

Her eyes flashing angrily, she glared at Harry.

"You can't win, Potter," she spat, "Hogwart's has been taken over. Half of the pupils are dead. You might as well just accept it. There is absolutely nothing you or your silly little friends can do to save yourselves."

"Oh yeah?" asked Harry, taking a step towards her and twirling his wand nonchalantly, "well let's just humour me for a moment. Suppose I think I _can _do something about it. Suppose first I need you to tell me what's happening here tonight."

Bellatrix just smiled. He wasn't going to hurt her. Babies like Harry would never have the guts to use any of the interesting spells.

As if reading her thoughts, Harry, who had turned away, whirled around again, his want lifted.

"Crucio!" he roared, with a fury that even Ron had never seen before burning in his eyes.

Bellatrix doubled over, but was soon upright again and staring defiantly back at Harry.

"Is that the best you can do, Potter?" she sneered, but Harry was sure he could detect a tremble in her voice.

"CRUCIO!" he shouted again, louder this time. That was all that Bellatrix could take. Tears streaming down her face, she opened her mouth slowly.

"Dumbledore," she croaked, sounding defeated, "he's been helping us. He's not the man you think he is," and, with a hint of her usual malice, she added "and he never was."


End file.
